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A surge of deceptive gambling ads is reaching Indonesian users through Meta platforms, revealing gaps in oversight despite years of strict enforcement.
Indonesia continues to battle the rising gambling advertising, even as authorities remove millions of illegal posts and warn platforms about compliance. An AFP investigation found that gambling promoters are disguising paid ads as harmless content, redirecting users to offshore betting websites that operate outside national rules.
The pattern shows how quickly operators adapt in a market where both online gambling and its promotion remain illegal.
Offshore operators use disguised ads to reach users
Promotions appear as health tips or video game content but link to betting sites.
AFP identified dozens of paid ads on Facebook, Instagram and Threads that looked like promotions for fruit, wellness advice or casual games. Once clicked, they redirected users to gambling platforms promising cash rewards. Some ads carried titles such as “Pomegranate: The Exotic Red Fruit Rich in Benefits” while linking to betting pages that offered new users the chance to “directly win”.
These ads often came from accounts registered in places such as Hanoi, using multiple administrators and opaque ownership details. The approach allows promoters to appear legitimate until users land on the actual gambling sites. Indonesia’s total ban on online gambling has not slowed this strategy, and billions of dollars continue to move through the sector each year.
Users report growing concern about exposure
Gambling ads are showing up in everyday feeds, reaching both adults and younger viewers.
Zee, a 32-year-old gamer, said seeing these ads on Instagram felt unsettling.
“It’s become really disturbing. I suspect their target is people who like playing games, therefore children can also see such advertisements.”
Another user, Moli, said she reports the ads every time they appear, yet they continue to resurface through new accounts.
The recurring pattern suggests that ad detection systems struggle to identify disguised gambling content at scale. Meta removed almost two dozen ads after they were flagged to the company, but it did not respond to further questions about the issue.
Enforcement intensifies, but gaps remain
Authorities have removed millions of posts, arrested influencers and warned platforms.
Indonesian authorities say they have taken down more than 5.7 million pieces of gambling-related content over the past eight years. Police enforcement has also increased, with at least 85 influencers arrested last year for promoting online betting. Penalties include prison terms of up to ten years for promoters and up to four years for those caught gambling.
The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs regularly instructs platforms to remove illegal content. Director General Alexander Sabar said continued inaction results in escalating warnings and potential access termination. In October, the ministry temporarily suspended TikTok’s operating licence after it refused to share information linked to suspected gambling activity.
Studies show high exposure across Indonesia
New research points to widespread visibility and significant user interaction with gambling promotions.
A forthcoming study by Populix shows that 98 percent of social media users in Indonesia have encountered gambling promotions, including paid ads. Of those, 32 percent said they tried online gambling after exposure, and four percent said they still take part. Populix researchers say many ads offer the promise of easy wins, creating strong incentives for first-time users.
The Indonesian Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre estimates that online gambling transactions reached 927 trillion rupiah between 2017 and the first quarter of 2025. It has also been reported that around 80 percent of users come from student or low-income backgrounds. The scale of these figures shows how deeply gambling promoters have penetrated digital platforms, even under strict national laws.
What this means for digital oversight
Indonesia’s next move will determine how platforms adjust their detection systems.
The rise of disguised gambling ads highlights the growing pressure on digital platforms to improve their monitoring tools. It also raises questions about how quickly enforcement can respond when operators shift tactics through misleading visuals, foreign-registered accounts and rapid ad turnover. For regulators, the challenge lies in updating detection systems, increasing penalties for non-compliance and strengthening cooperative mechanisms with platforms.
For industry observers, the situation signals a larger issue: digital markets evolve faster than enforcement structures. Indonesia’s experience may influence how other countries approach platform accountability, ad screening and cross-border gambling controls.
What happens if disguised gambling ads keep scaling faster than the systems built to stop them?
Source: rfi
